Body Filler Options

[GeorgeRud]

As I have no bodywork experience, I wonder if it's standard to completely cover the body with filler, then sand it down (as seen on many of the Velocity Channel restoration shows) before applying primer and color coats? Obviously this amount of hand crafting is not done during initial manufacturing, but is there an advantage to this? Seems a high build sealing primer would make this unnecessary.

[Unobtanium-inc]

Is it a "correct" way to restore, no, but does it happen, all day every day. In fact many shops have gone to the spray bondo. A friend who has a 356 shop said he picked up a trick from the Vette guys and sprays filler right out of the gun, put a nice layer on the whole car and sand down. Bondo itself if frowned upon but one of the best 356 restorers once made the comment that if the Factory would have had bondo they would have used it. In a sense they did use the bondo of the day, which was lead, and they used that very liberaly, I mean layed it on thick like frosting a cake.
So for the average dude, doing an average car, bondo away, the car will thank you. What is and always will be a no-no is to bondo over rust, it is a sin that will come back to haunt you and fast, but for minor body work, lay on the mud!

[Olympic 914]

Is it a "correct" way to restore, no, but does it happen, all day every day. In fact many shops have gone to the spray bondo. A friend who has a 356 shop said he picked up a trick from the Vette guys and sprays filler right out of the gun, put a nice layer on the whole car and sand down. Bondo itself if frowned upon but one of the best 356 restorers once made the comment that if the Factory would have had bondo they would have used it. In a sense they did use the bondo of the day, which was lead, and they used that very liberaly, I mean layed it on thick like frosting a cake.
So for the average dude, doing an average car, bondo away, the car will thank you. What is and always will be a no-no is to bondo over rust, it is a sin that will come back to haunt you and fast, but for minor body work, lay on the mud!

IMHO

This is pretty good spray-on bondo



Pretty easy to block flat.

You need a BIG gun to spray it though. You regular 1.8 primer tip won't cut it.
A 2.5 tip gun works good but you don't have a lot of time before it starts setting up. They say 30 minutes, my experience is it quits spraying at about 20 min. and you better hurry and clean the gun out.